Marshall clinches Conference USA East title in 59-28 rout of ECU

Marshall clinched a spot in the Conference USA title game thanks to a big day from Rakeem Cato and Devon Johnson.

Marshall clinched a spot in the Conference USA Championship Game, winning the East division title outright with a 59-28 win against East Carolina on Friday.

All season, the two programs have led the way in the East with an eye on this rematch from last season's double overtime thriller. Marshall got revenge this year, with the stakes even higher in a winner-take-all game for the division title.

Marshall will meet the winner of the West in the Conference USA Championship Game on Dec. 7. Home-field advantage for that game is determined by best winning percentage in conference play, so the Herd will be rooting for Rice to lose on Saturday against Tulane.

Rice wins the West Division with a victory at home on Saturday against Tulane. If the Green Wave knock off the Owls, they will need a Louisiana Tech win at UTSA. UTSA can win the division with a win against Louisiana Tech and a Tulane win. North <span data-shortcode=" data-canon="Texas Longhorns" data-type="SPORTS_OBJECT_TEAM" id="shortcode0">, previously in control of its own destiny, can earn a share of the division title but cannot win any tiebreaker.

Chip Patterson has spent his young career covering college sports from the Old North State. He's been writing and talking about football and basketball for CBS Sports since 2010. You may have heard him...
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